Celebration in Gladstone at Endeavour Foundation awards

Nine people with a disability received framed certificates and gifts at the Endeavour Foundation Awards Night in Gladstone (on the evening of Wednesday 22nd August) which celebrated years of service and attendance.

Allan Wheeler received a gold watch and a certificate having attended the Learning & Lifestyle in Gladstone for 25 years and there were also awards for other Learning & Lifestyle service users, Joanne Garforth (20 years’ attendance) and Angela Campbell (five years).

Six supported employees from Endeavour Foundation’s commercial enterprise on Lyons Street also received their service awards.

They were Justina Boen for 20 years as a supported employee, Peter Hooper and Ann Force for ten years’ service while Christopher Hayden, Kendall Macbeath and Andrew Swindale received awards for 5 years of service.

Approximately 80 people attended the event held at Central Queensland University on Bryan Jordan Drive, including other service users and supported employees from the region and there were speeches by Endeavour Foundation’s Learning & Lifestyle Service Coordinator, Tanya Taylor, and Endeavour Foundation’s business service Manager in Gladstone, Shane Croucher.

Endeavour Foundation’s Area Manager for Disability Services in Central Queensland, Deirdre Bennett, said the event was significant on several levels.

“Awards nights are very important to Endeavour Foundation because they give us a chance to celebrate the achievements of service users and supported employees,” she said.

“This event was all about each person who received a certificate and it also gave Endeavour Foundation a chance to thank the Gladstone community for its fantastic support.”

More than 130 service users attend the Learning & Lifestyle in Gladstone and there are more than 30 supported employees at the Gladstone business service.

Endeavour Foundation continues to campaign for the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme which will provide an equitable support system for all Australians regardless of where they live, when or how they acquired a disability.